


Look Out For Number One

by watermelonriddles



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 20:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17008464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: Beth, Annie, and Ruby are surprised to see that Rio might actually have a softer side as he interacts with Sadie for the first time.





	Look Out For Number One

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sat in my drafts for a long time so I thought I might as well post it!

They were all in Beth’s kitchen when they heard the front door. Beth, Annie, and Ruby were on one side of the island counters and Rio was perched on a stool on the other side, back to the living room. The three women froze as someone stepped into the house but Rio didn’t budge.

“Hello?”  
  
“Sadie,” Annie hissed to the others as she hurriedly moved to greet her daughter, but as she passed by Rio, Sadie appeared and looked at them all. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be at your Dad’s.”  
  
“I didn’t feel like going,” Sadie said, voice quiet. “I knew you were here so I just called him, made something up, and got a ride here. I’ll make it up to him.”  
  
“Why don’t you take her home?” Beth suggested. “We can handle everything.”  
  
For a moment, Annie was unsure. She wanted desperately to get Sadie out of the house and away from Rio, but she also didn’t want to leave Beth and Ruby with him. However, before she could form an answer, Rio was out of his seat. It looked, for a second, like he might be leaving or looking to comment on what Beth had just suggested but instead, his eyes landed on Sadie, watching her curiously.  
  
“What happened to you?” he asked, straight to the point.  
  
Annie looked down at Sadie, realising then that her face was red and blotchy from crying. She hadn’t noticed before because she had been so concerned with getting her out of the house as quickly as possible.  
  
“Come sit here,” he said, patting the seat he had just vacated.  
  
Having no reason to be concerned or object, Sadie walked over to the stool and sat down. As she did so, Rio moved around to the sink. He grabbed a glass from the dish rack and a carton of orange juice from the fridge. Once he had poured out a glass, he slid it across the island counter to Sadie before leaning on it.  
  
“Too young for something stronger,” he said.  
  
“Thank you.” Sadie smiled at him before taking a drink.  
  
“Now, what’s all that about?” Rio asked, motioning to her face.  
  
“It’s stupid.” She shrugged, taking another sip. “Doesn’t matter.”  
  
“No, no, no.” Rio shook his head as he straightened up and walked back around to her side. He sat down on the stool beside her and she turned a little to look at him. He ignored the way Beth and Ruby straighten up, and how Annie shuffled closer to Sadie. “If something causes a reaction like that, makes you feel so strongly, then it does matter.”  
  
“Just some kids at school saying horrible stuff.”  
  
Annie took her attention off of Rio and wrapped an arm around Sadie’s shoulders. “I thought that stopped? I thought someone had a word with the bullies?”  
  
“Doesn’t stop other kids from talking,” Sadie mumbled as she ran her finger around the rim of the glass.  
  
“What’d they say about you?”  
  
“They just talk about my hair and my clothes and, uh…” Suddenly Sadie looked unsure and her voice dropped to a whisper. “You know, talking about what I’ve got down there.”  
  
Rio seemed to mull that over for a moment. “Could use a little gel, bit more of a style,” he murmured, eyeing up her hair a little. “But I mean, it ain’t my hair. Been a long time since I wore a tie too, but I know when someone can rock one.”  
  
Sadie gently touched her hair and looked down at her tie. “You think?”  
  
“Kid.” He looked her directly in the eye. “Those assholes at school think they’re something but you know what they are?” She shook her head. “Assholes who don’t know shit and ain’t got shit. You’ve got style, you’ve got curiosity, and you clearly ain’t afraid to show off who you are. I bet they’ve done some pretty unbearable shit to you and look at you, not changed a single bit.”  
  
“I like my clothes.”  
  
“And that hair too, I bet.” He turned his head to the side and runs a hand over the top of it. “Don’t want to try something like this?”  
  
She grinned. “Maybe one day.”  
  
“And you’re gonna kill it when you do.” Rio grinned but it quickly faded as he grew more serious. “People are gonna judge you no matter what. Some will make their minds up so quick you can’t change it. Fuck those people. You’ve gotta look out for number one.”  
  
“I’m just tired.”  
  
“There are other schools,” he prompted. “And in a few years, when you’re living your life, being _you_ , those fuckers are gonna be stuck in a shit hole of a life wishing they could be you.”  
  
He held a fist up and she bumped hers against it. As Rio got up, he caught Beth’s eyes and winked at her. Without looking at the others or even saying goodbye, he walked towards the back door and let himself out. There was a pause before the door swung shut behind him and he turned to see Beth.  
  
“Well, that was a surprise.”  
  
“What was?”  
  
He sat on the step and she came over to join him. She shrugged. “The way you spoke to her. I mean, the language was a bit much but the honesty was… Nice.”  
  
“She’s a kid and she’s done nothing wrong to me,” Rio said. “As far as I can tell she’s done fuck all to have people on her back because of how she holds herself. Ain’t fair.”  
  
“Well, I know Sadie probably appreciates it.”  
  
“Yeah.” He shrugged like it’s no big deal. “Don’t get used to it. I might be capable of having a soft side, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to access.”  
  
“I also don’t think I’ve heard you talk so much.”  
  
Rio laughed a little as he got up. He stood in front of her, looking down. “I only talk when I got something important to say.”  
  
Without another word, he walked away.


End file.
